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Abstract

The idea that
and may be
employed by us to uncover information, to heal the sick or injured, and to punish or to maim others is something that
boggles a Western mind. Perhaps even more perplexing is the
fact that shamanism is the oldest known form of organized
religion, and that there exis~s a large body of evidence that
testifies to the power and reality of the spirit world, such
as those accounts given in William K. Powers' Yuwipi, John
G. Neihardt's Black Elk Speaks, and Mircea Eliade's
Shamanism. Perhaps it is this dilemma, that so many people
have practiced shamanism for so many years and have amassed
definite proof of its inherent healing power, that leaves
Western minds searching for a plausible explanation that
satisfies their scientific curiosity.
It is not the goal of this paper, however, to support
or to discredit the evidence suggesting the existence of the
spirit plane. That task can only be left to individual
experience. Rather, this paper will demonstrate that several
aspects of the shamanic world may be explained in biochemical
and psychological terms, while recognizing that there are
many other aspects which cannot be, or at least not yet.